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(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet2. G. W. KNAPP.

CHERRY SEBDING MACHINE.

Patented Apr. 4, 1882'.

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UNITED STATES "PAT NT OFF cE.

GEORGE W. Earlier, on BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

CHERRY-SEEDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,874, dated April 4,1882.

Application filed November 3, 1881. (Model) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatl, GEORGE W. KNAPP, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the county ofBaltimore and State of Maryland,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cherry-SeedingMachines, of which the following is a specification, reference being badtherein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a machine for removing the seeds from cherries.

The construction and operation of a machine embodying my improvementswill be first described, and the invention then designated in theclaims.

Inthe drawings hereto annexed, Figure l is a side elevation of themachine, showing a portion broken away to expose the cylinder. Fig. 2 isa top view of the machine. Fig. 3 is a view of the cylinder in section,theseed-clearing wires, and the pluugers. Fig. 4 is also a sectionalview of the cylinder, the wires, and theseed-remover. Fig. 5 is partly aside and partly a sectional view of the cylinder and wires. Fig.6 is avertical cross-section of the cylinder and the endless apron. Fig. 7 isan end view of the cylinder and the brake device. Fig. 8 shows twoviews, enlarged, of the punches. i i

TheletterAdesignates the sides of the frame of the machine; B, thehopper to receive the cherries; G,the hollow cylindelyprovided withsockets, each adapted to receive a cherry.

D is the main shaft, andD the pulley by which it is driven. The socketsto on the outside of the cylinder are arranged in rows extending instraight lines lengthwise of the cylinder. Each end of the cylinder isturned down, as shownat b in Figs. 3 and 4, to form a journal, whichrests and revolves in the bearings c in the sides of the frame. The endsof the hollow cylinder are open, and each projects somewhat from itsbearings, one end being provided with ratchet-teeth d, (seen in Figs. 1and 2,) and the other end serving as a face on which a brake device, as,may be applied. The dimensions of the sockets are such as to adapt themto receive a full-sized cherry, and from the bottom of each a hole, c,leads into the hollow cylinder, and through this hole the cherry-seedpasses.

Two stationary bars, f f, extend across the machine from one side totheother. The bars are perforated to allow the punches g to pass and slidethrough them, and all the punches are carried or moved by across-bar, E,which has a reciprocatingmovement between the two bars fand f. This baris moved by a rod, h, at each end, which connects with a wrist-pin onthe crank-head F, one crank headbeing mounted at each end of the shaftF, which extends across the machine and is driven by gearing 9 from themain shaft.

A bracket, G, is secured to the side of the frame, and to the bracket anarm, 0, is pivoted. This arm carries a pawl, 'i, which engages with theratchet d on the endof the cylinder, and a vibrating motion is impartedto the arm by the rod J, which connects with a wrist-pin on a plate, K,which plateis attached to the wristpin on the crank-head F, to whichlatter wristpin'the rod h is connected; Thus the one crankhead givesmotion to two rods, h and J.

By the arm and pawl mechanism just described intermittent movement isgiven to the cylinder.

To prevent the cherries in the hopper from beingcrushed by the revolvingcylinder, an endless apron or belt, L, is provided, which constitutespractically one of the walls of the hopper. The belt passes over aroller, 1', whichextends across the hopper near the top and at one side,and over another roller, 8, which extends across the hopper at thebottom and in close proximity'to, if not in contact with, the revolvingcylinder. A journal of the roller rpasses through the side of thehopper, and has attached a pulley, 1'', which is driven by a belt orcord, t, from the crankhead F. Each of the sockets in that portion ofthe revolving cylinder which is exposed in the bottom of the hopperreceives a. cherry. The cylinder turns, as shown by the arrow, in adirection from the hopper toward the endless belt. Thus the tendency isfor the cylinder to carry the cherries toward the belt. That side of theendless belt against which the cherries are carried by the cylinder, andwhich constitutes one of the walls of the hopper, has an upwardmovement, as shown by the arrow. The effect of this movement of the beltis to keepthe cherries which lie against the cyl- IOC inder, and whichthe latter tends to carry toward the belt, pressed back by such gentlemeans as not to injure them, and to prevent more than one cherry at atime from entering each ofthe sockets. The movement of the endless beltalso prevents any cherries from being wound between the casing m and thecylinder, where they would be crushed. The casing m covers that portionof the cylinder between the hopper and the punches. As the hollowcylinder is open from one end to the other and has nothing to obstructit internally, a stationary device to clear the seeds or stonesfrom theends of the punches is arranged and extends lengthwise through thecylinder from end to end. This device to knock the seeds which adhere tothe ends of the punches consists of two wires, u, stretched tightandhaving their ends secured to the arms G and G. When the punches, with aseed on the end of each punch, penetrate the holes 0 to the interior ofthe cylinder, they enter betweenthe two wires, which are thereby forcedor spread apart, and upon the withdrawal of the punches the two wiresresume their normal position or come together, and in doing so knock theseeds off.

The two wires to knock off the seeds are not onlyoperative in connectionwith the mechanism shown-to wit, a hollow cylinder provided with socketshaving holes and reciprocating punches to enter the holesbut it isobvious the two wires would also effect the same result with socketshaving holes regardless of their being arranged in a hollow cylinder andreciprocating punches to penetrate the holes.

A shaft,v, has its bearings in the two arms G and G and extends throughthe hollow cylinder. A spiral flange, w, is wound on this shaft and isin contact with the interior bottom of the cylinder. The end of theshaft is provided with a. pulley, o, and motion is given .to the same bya belt passing over the pulley and also over the pulley s. This spiraldevice, by its arrangement in contact with the interior bottom of thecylinder, serves, first, to scrape the interior surface of the cylinder,and thereby remove any seeds which may adhere thereto, and, second, tocarry the seeds out of the cylinder.

v The shape of the punches is shown in Fig. 8. The ends are barbed ontwo opposite sides. The barbs, being in the horizontal direction,permit.the end of the punchto enter between and withdraw from the wires, whichare stretched horizontally. The barb on the punch serves to draw thecherry out ofits socket after the punch has punched out the seed, and asthe barbed end is drawn through the slide-hole in the stationary barfthe cherries are stripped from the barbed ends and drop in a pan below,as seen in Fig. 1.

The brake 00 consists of two semicircular j aws, each pivoted. 3 "anextension, y, to the side of the frame, and serves tohold thecylinderfrom turning while the arm 0 and pawli move back.

The operation, briefly stated, is as follows Assuming the hoppercontains cherries and the machine is in motion, each socket in thecylinder which is exposed in the hopper receives a cherry. The endlessbeltor apron prevents the cherries from being crushed between theeasing, which partly covers the cylinder, and the cylinder.Thepunchesdrivetheseedsthrough the holes in the sockets. The two wiresremove the seed which adheres to the end of each punch. The spiralflange carries the seeds out of the cylinder. The ends of the punches,bein gbarbed, serve to withdraw the cherries from the sockets, and bythe barbed part of the punches being drawn through the slide-holes inthe bar the cherries are stripped therefrom I and drop into areceptacle.

It is not essential, in order to use the several features whichconstitute my invention, thatall the parts shall beconstructed as hereinshown, nor that all the parts shown shall be used.

Having described my invention, 1 claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States- 1. In a cherry-seeder, the combination of acylinder adapted to revolve and, having sockets, each of which are toreceive a cherry, a hopper from which the cherries are fed to thecylinder,and an endless belt or apron mounted in the hopperiu proximilyto the cylinder and constituting one of the walls of the hopper, as andfor the purpose set forth.

2. In a cherry-seeder, the combination of a hollow cylinder adapted torevolve and provided with sockets to receive cherries, punches toreciprocate and arranged forthe end of each punch to enter a socket, andtwo wires stretched through the cylinder and arranged to permit the endsof the punches to enter between the wires, as set forth.

3. In a machine for seeding cherries, the construction herein set forth,consisting of a hollow cylinder provided with holes leading into thecylinder for the passage thereinto of the seeds, and a shaft extendingthrough the cylinder, having a spiral flange arranged to revolve incontact with the interior surface of the cylinder at its bott01n,wherebythe spiral flange serves both as a scraper and a seed-remover, as setforth.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature i presence of two witnesses.

IIO

Witnesses:

GHAs. B. MANN, W. L. LANGLEY.

